About AncestorPress
We build genealogy tools because we use them ourselves.
AncestorPress is a product of Black and White Trading Ltd, a UK company that has been building WordPress software and websites since 2006. We are family history enthusiasts who learned to build software - not software developers who happened to find genealogy.
2006
Building WordPress sites
1997
Researching family history
20+
Years of WordPress expertise
UK
Based in England
Our Story
Built out of genuine need.
AncestorPress began the way the best tools usually do - someone needed it and it didn't exist. Our founding director has been researching his own family history since 1997, long before genealogy software became mainstream and long before it was possible to put a family tree on a website without considerable technical effort.
When WordPress made it possible to build almost anything for the web, the obvious question was: why isn't there a proper family tree plugin? Not a gimmick, not a widget - a real tool that handles GEDCOM data correctly, displays trees clearly, and integrates properly with how WordPress works.
So we built one. That first plugin grew an audience, and that audience told us what was missing. AncestorPress is the result of years of iteration informed by real genealogists using real tools to research real families.
Family history is about permanence. The tools that support it should be too.
Our Timeline
Family history research begins. Pencil, paper, parish records.
First attempts to put family data online. Nothing suitable exists.
Black and White Trading Ltd founded. WordPress development begins.
First genealogy website built for a client. The specialist need becomes clear.
First WordPress plugin published on WP.org.
Family tree plugin launched. 1,000 installs in the first year.
AncestorPress launched. Rebuilt from the ground up, properly.
Why AncestorPress
What makes us different.
There are other genealogy plugins. There are other WordPress agencies. There are not many who are genuinely both.
We actually do genealogy
Our director has been researching his own family tree since 1997. We understand GEDCOM, parish records, census data, and how genealogists actually work - not as a market, but as a lived experience.
WordPress specialists, not generalists
We have been building WordPress websites and plugins since 2006. We understand the platform at a code level, which means our tools are built the right way - using native WordPress patterns, not workarounds.
A complete ecosystem
AncestorPress covers the full range: self-service plugins for individuals, a portal product for serious projects, and a bespoke development service for organisations. One team, one support relationship, the whole stack.
UK-based and UK-focused
We are a UK company, registered in England. We understand UK genealogy - the record structures, the county boundaries, the difference between a GRO reference and a parish register. We speak the same language as our users.
Built on open standards
All our tools use GEDCOM, the international standard for genealogy data. Your data is never locked in. Export it, back it up, take it elsewhere. We build tools that respect your ownership of your family history.
Long-term thinking
Family history projects take decades. A tool or website built for a family history society needs to still be working in ten years. We design for permanence, maintain our products properly, and support our users for the long term.
Our Products & Services
Everything under one roof.
AncestorPress is a suite of products and services built around a single purpose: helping people put family history online properly.
WordPress Plugin
Family Trees
Display an interactive family tree on any WordPress site. Import GEDCOM, embed with a shortcode. Free to install.
WordPress Plugin
Genealogy Portal
A full family history portal on WordPress. Collaboration, timelines, citations, reports. Coming soon.
Development Service
Bespoke Sites
Custom genealogy websites for individuals, professional genealogists, and family history organisations.
Content
FamilyHistory.Zone
Our editorial site for genealogy news, guides, and research advice. Independent but part of the same family.
What We Believe
Family history belongs to families, not platforms.
The major genealogy platforms have done extraordinary things for the accessibility of records. But they have also created a situation where millions of people's family histories live inside subscription services they don't own, in formats they can't export, behind paywalls that will eventually go up.
We believe your family history should live on infrastructure you control. A WordPress site you own. A database you can back up. Files you can export in standard formats and open in any software.
That's why AncestorPress uses GEDCOM - the open standard, not a proprietary format. It's why we build on WordPress, not a walled platform. And it's why we will always provide a way to export your data.
Open standards
GEDCOM in, GEDCOM out. Your data is always portable. We will never create lock-in.
Long-term support
We maintain our plugins properly. Security patches, WordPress compatibility updates, and active support - not just at launch.
Genuine expertise
We only build tools in areas we understand deeply. Genealogy is not a vertical we entered for commercial reasons - it is where we started.
Honest pricing
The free plugin is genuinely useful. Premium plans add real features. We don't cripple the free tier to force upgrades.
Company Information
Black and White Trading Ltd.
Trading name
AncestorPress
Legal entity
Black and White Trading Ltd
Company number
7711181
Registered in
England and Wales
Registered office
23 Templemere, Weybridge, Surrey, KT13 9PA
VAT number
GB 116 3470 36
ICO registration
ZB480180
Contact